Episode 045: Exposing The Deception

The deception is ever present, which is why we must constantly work to expose it. We do this through research, discussions, and continually speaking truth in the face of lies. This week, Heit & Cheri are excited to welcome the incredible Hip Hop artist, K-Rino, whose full breadth of musical works are dedicated to exposing the deception and transferring knowledge to his listeners. His songs were previously discussed on The Axiom Amnesia Theory Episode 011: The Machine and Episode 023: Allot Of Redemption. He has over 20 solo albums and over 25 albums, including collaborative projects.

During the discussion K-Rino gives Heit & Cheri a history lesson on how he got started in Hip Hop in Houston, and what led to the founding of the South Park Coalition. He also discusses his musical influences in both R&B and Hip Hop, and gives us the details of his current and upcoming projects. Heit & Cheri also get K-Rino’s take on a variety topics including, whether he feels Obama’s election signifies real change in the condition of Black Americans, Black assimilation and search for acceptance into mainstream culture and it’s effect on the collective self-esteem, falling for the illusion of the way most people view the world, the teachings of the Hon. Elijah Muhammad via Louis Farrakhan, Serena Williams c-walking after winning Olympic gold, comments about Gabby Douglas’ hair, Black unity, and more!

Other topics include, Barack Obama signing the Jane Ensminger Act to provide health care benefits to families affected by Camp LeJeune water contamination from 1957 to 1987, and an update in the Trayvon Martin / George Zimmerman case.

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Segment 1

• On August 6, 2012, President Obama signed the Jane Ensminger Act, which pledges health benefits for Marines and families who were exposed to contaminated ground water at a North Carolina Marine base between 1957 and 1987. Jerry Ensminger’s daughter died at the age of nine due to illness contracted from drinking the contaminated water.
• Ensminger, a retired Marine, actually led the fight to gain health care coverage and acknowledgement for families affected by this miscarriage of justice. The documentary Siemper Fi: Always Faithful actually documented Ensminger’s search for justice.
• Discussion about the fact that the Camp Lejune coverup’s motivation was protecting an organization over the lives of the people.
• Update in the Trayvon Martin/George Zimmerman case. The defense filed a motion for continuance, which was granted.
• Discussion of K-Rino’s song, Imagination.
• Cheri thought the song was an amazing trip, and Heit said that it makes a person question their sanity. It reminded Heit of the different levels of existence.
• Cheri says that the song reminded her of the book, Canterbury Tales, because of the story in a story effect.
• Heit recounts that Daniel Coffeen actually spoke about this in his Berkeley lecture. He uses Socrates as an example.
• Heit mentioned that he liked the song ending with saying that it was all conceived in the mind of K-Rino.
• Cheri’s favorite part was about the woman who conceived the baby.
• Discussion of the idea that thoughts are essentially part of our individual realities.

Segment 2

• Axiom Amnesia welcomes the incredible Hip Hop artist, K-Rino to the show. We’ve been trying to have him on since we started the show, so we were really excited that he was able to come and have a conversation with us.
• What does K-Rino stand for? It was originally a childhood nickname to which he later applied the acronym Killer Rhymes Intellectually Nullifying Opponents.
• K-Rino tells us that he has been in love with music since he was young, growing up on artists such as Stevie Wonder, O’Jays, Al Green and Isley Brothers–old school classic R&B. Then, when Hip Hop took off in the late 1970s/early 1980s, he liked Sugar Hill Gang and Kurtis Blow. He began imitating them, and later made his first record in 1987.
• K-Rino explains that when he first started, he mimicked RUN DMC and other artists. However, his evolution took place as he lived longer and had more experiences. He was greatly influenced by growing up in the South Park neighborhood of Houston, as well as the later influences of the teachings of Hon. Elijah Muhammad.
• How did he come up with the South Park Coalition? It happened when he was 16 or 17, and it consisted of four or five guys he went to school with. It branched out by accident, when other rival schools had rappers–people like Gangsta Nip, Klondike Kat, Point Blank, and Dope-E. They would come together by attending each other’s school talent shows, and they would have rap battles. They developed a mutual respect for one another, deciding that they would be much stronger by joining forces. The radio station 90.9 in Houston gave the locals a platform to have their music played.
• K-Rino discusses the influence of the original Geto Boys, Ghetto Boys, on their music in the early days. He also discusses the issue that happened with Trae Tha Truth and his controversy with Houston radio station 97.9 The Box. He explains his reasons for backing Trae Tha Truth, and also elaborates on the radio station’s role in controlling the industry.
• “You gotta be willing to stand for something, even at the cost of losing something. If the cause is greater than your own situation, then you gotta be willing to stand for the cause.” – K-Rino
• K-Rino explains that the reason Blacks (in general) have fallen for Obama’s election as signifying change is because people have seen something done that people thought would never happen. We also have to understand that the structure in the United States was never intended for Blacks to prosper in it. He will not be able to improve our conditions from his position. We need to gain more knowledge for ourselves as Black individuals and not depend on Obama to save us. Don’t stop doing for ourselves, because that is what will save us in the end.
• K-Rino admits that at one point he did fall for the illusions of the way most people view the world, because he grew up in illusions. He recounts leaving cookies for Santa Claus as a kid. People can’t be blamed for their initial ignorance, but once they come into another body of knowledge, they need to learn and research in order to make the necessary changes to grow. He tries to translate this to his music as an artist–the music is a tool to relay the message.
• K-Rino explains that his source is the Hon. Elijah Muhammad, through who he feels is the greatest teacher of his principles–Min. Louis Farrakhan. He gets a lot of his information from Muhammad’s books, like A Message to the Black Man, Fall of America, How to Eat to Live, and Theology of Time. He explains his belief that Elijah Muhammad had a better grip on the future (from his perspective in the 1950s and 1960s), than most people today have on the present and the past.
• Discussion about the idea that the Black struggle is over because we have a few Blacks who have made it to prominent positions in society. The masses of people are still involved in the struggle. This is why we must not feel as if these accomplishments by a few mean that we “have arrived.” We need to figure things out for our lives as individuals first, then come together collectively.
• Discussion of the impact of integration, the desire to assimilate and seek acceptance from the predominant culture on the collective self-esteem. Discussion of how many Blacks traded away the greater economic security of doing for self in exchange for begging from people who have no respect for us as people.
• Mention of how we will let non-Blacks mistreat us over and over, yet generally have little tolerance for each other–too quick to condemn each other. Discussion of the importance to develop a tolerance for each other’s flaws in order to be better off in the long run.
• K-Rino discusses the Black identity crises and collective low self-esteem of the group. He uses the examples of rappers choosing to use names of Europeans and others–claiming everyone except ourselves–to show how frequently Blacks show love for the oppressor over themselves.
• You should have a bigger issue in mind as an artist than just signing with a label. If you sign, let that be a springboard to you eventually having your own.
• K-Rino explains that Blacks are always trying to force ourselves into a system that doesn’t want to accept us, rather than establishing a system for ourselves.
• Discussion of America’s celebration of outlaws and criminals (old west, mafia, etc.), then Blacks who would be the victims of those peoples’ crimes turn around and emulate them–naming themselves, their record companies after those people.
• Discussion of how the heroes, idols, and great leaders are always portrayed as other than those who are to be ruled over. In this case, the oppressing group will make sure that all images of worship or high esteem look like them.
• K-Rino discusses the significance of names, and how many names that Black Americans take on have no meaning.
• Discussion about criticism of Serena William c-walking after she won her first Olympics women’s singles gold medal. People have suggested that her dance glorifies gang culture.
• Discussion of people making comments about Gabby Douglas’ hair.
• The mistake that a lot of Blacks make is still working to seek the approval. As a result, some of us bash others because of feeling that they are looking bad in front of the oppressing group. They are trying to fit in, and the exhibition of certain behaviors that do not fit into the predominant culture make them feel embarrassed.
• Discussion about the pride in Blacks’ physical abilities, perhaps to the point of overcompensation for a failure to be acknowledged in other areas. We as Blacks need to instill that there is more to life that the stereotypical box into which we are placed.
• K-Rino says that it’s impossible for him to pick a favorite song from all the songs he’s done, but he says that his favorite album is Annihilation of the Evil Machine.
• Discussion of the song, Annihilation of the Evil Machine, and the reference to the G719 Skill Gun. He explains exactly what this means.
• Heit mentions that his favorite K-Rino song changes from time to time, and that right now No Redemption is one of his current favorites, but he also likes Man in the Mask.

Segment 3

• Discussion of how K-Rino uses a storytelling technique to keep his listeners engaged.
• Discussion of the debate over who is the best: K-Rino vs. Can-I-Bus and K-Rino vs. Immortal Technique.
• K-Rino appeared on Can-I-Bus’s album, Lyrical Law. K-Rino talks about how Can-I-Bus doesn’t get the credit he deserves for fathering the style that a lot of rappers use now.
• K-Rino spoke with Immortal Technique, and he’s open to working with him.
• Does K-Rino feel that some of the pioneers of different styles–the ones who may not be as popular–get their just due in terms of recognition for their craft? He thinks they don’t get credit they deserve–especially not in this day and age because the system is predicated on fad music.
• Discussion about how the system is pushing the fad music, and conscious music won’t get the exposure that the popular music gets.
• Discussion about how in the early days of rap, the system hadn’t figured out how to redirect energy away from the conscious rappers (NWA, Public Enemy, KRS-One, X-Clan, etc.) to the stuff we see being popular today. That won’t happen again, and it’s no coincidence that the rappers talking about conscious topics don’t get the big record deals.
• There is a market for the conscious rap, and the Internet has saved things for these artists. It opened the world to the underground in the absence of radio play for these artists.
• K-Rino says that for the most part, people receive him and the things he speaks about positively. The people who are in agreement with his stance gravitate toward it. He doesn’t worry about the dissenters.
• K-Rino weighs in on the Trayvon Martin / George Zimmerman case. He explains that few times a year a situation like this happens. He believe that we as Blacks shouldn’t focus as much on how we react to the situation, but rather work on preventative efforts. We go through the same steps every time, then it all burns out. People go back to their normal lives, then it all happens again. He doesn’t expect the cycle to change until we work toward prevention and stop begging the unjust system for justice. He says that it’s all about unifying and establishing our own as Black people. “If we separate ourselves from the system, then we won’t fall victim to it anymore.” – K-Rino

The current album is Deeper Elevation, and the new album, The 80-Minute Eternity, will be out in early September.

How To Connect With K-Rino:

Website: http://southparkcoalition.webs.com/
Twitter: @TheRealKRino
Facebook: K-Rino on Facebook
iTunes: K-Rino on iTunes

Audio Credits:

“Award-winning film about Lejeune water shown in Raleigh” – WRAL
“Imagination” – K-Rino
“Man in the Mask” – K-Rino
“Grand Deception” – K-RIno

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